But since Brother Chun had already spoken, Song Qiao naturally couldn't refuse him, so he had to grit his teeth and not decline.
Guo Jun, standing nearby, acted naturally, clearly accustomed to such situations.
Before long, about a dozen beauties, dressed to the nines, filed in from outside the private room.
"Boss, good evening."
The dozen or so girls bowed together, then introduced themselves one by one from left to right, waiting for the guests to choose.
Brother Chun was not polite. Before the hostesses had even finished their introductions, he casually pointed to the two in the middle who were dressed most revealingly and called them to his side.
Guo Jun smiled at Song Qiao, gesturing for him to choose first.
Song Qiao was suddenly so awkward he didn't know what to do, and remained silent for a long time.
"It seems these girls don't suit Brother Song's taste."
Seeing this, Guo Jun waved his hand, signaling the waitresses to bring another batch.
Meanwhile, Brother Chun was already getting intimate with two hostesses, completely oblivious to what was happening here.
The seven or eight hostesses who were left behind, seeing that the guests had not chosen them, left the private room with regret on their faces.
Then, another dozen or so hostesses walked in. Their looks were not much different from the first batch, but their styles of dress varied.
Song Qiao's gaze swept over the hostesses. When he looked to the right, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
"How could it be her?"
Just as he was hesitating, the hostesses began their introductions again.
When it was the turn of the hostess on the far right, she clearly hesitated for a moment before stating her name.
Lin Ling!
A tempest churned in Song Qiao's heart. For a moment, he was stunned in place.
His high school classmate, who was once like the school belle, the object of countless boys' dreams in their class.
How had she ended up in this profession now?
Guo Jun's eyes were always sharp. He instantly noticed Song Qiao's anomaly, seeing that he was staring intently at the hostess named Lin Ling.
He immediately understood something. Fearing Song Qiao might be embarrassed, he proactively waved his hand and called Lin Ling over, arranging her next to Song Qiao.
"Brother Song, please continue."
He gave Song Qiao a knowing glance, then pulled over another girl and sat far away.
Lin Ling also did not expect to be chosen so quickly and sat beside Song Qiao in a daze.
Although Song Qiao recognized her at a glance, she did not recognize Song Qiao.
After all, the Song Qiao of high school was low-key and had very little presence in class.
"Boss, I'll toast you."
Seeing Song Qiao remain silent for so long, Lin Ling felt awkward just sitting there and shyly raised her glass to Song Qiao.
Song Qiao smiled awkwardly. After a long pause, he slowly said,
"You don't have to drink tonight."
This statement made Lin Ling freeze in place.
This was her first day working as a hostess, and she had encountered such a strange customer.
According to the experience she had gathered from her sisters, these customers would usually force them to drink heavily.
Then they would start with their lecherous hands.
She had not expected this boss to be completely different from what her sisters had described, showing no interest in her at all.
This made her, who had little experience, panic.
"Boss, then we..."
Song Qiao suddenly waved his hand, signaling her not to say anything else, and just to sit there.
Since she hadn't recognized him, he naturally wouldn't reveal himself, as it would only make Lin Ling more embarrassed.
Although Lin Ling was puzzled, she was secretly delighted. She had not expected to meet a customer who didn't force her to drink on her first night.
She just had to sit there honestly and get her commission for the night. Why wouldn't she?
Throughout the rest of the evening, Song Qiao did not speak to Lin Ling. He just sat there, drinking quietly, and occasionally chatting with Brother Chun.
It wasn't until close to eleven o'clock that the drinking session finally ended, and Song Qiao was finally free.
Brother Chun and Guo Jun greeted Song Qiao and then led the girls away to somewhere.
"You can go too."
Song Qiao looked at Lin Ling, who was sitting on pins and needles, and said calmly.
Then he thought for a moment, took out five hundred yuan from his bag, and handed it to Lin Ling.
Lin Ling trembled all over and cautiously glanced at Song Qiao. After hesitating, she shook her head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, boss, but I can't take this money."
With that, she ran out of the private room like a startled mouse, without looking back.
Song Qiao smiled wryly at this, said nothing further, picked up his jacket, and left Zi Yue.
Not long after he walked out, he faintly heard Lin Ling's cries.
Interspersed with the cries seemed to be the angry roars of several men.
"You bitch, when are you going to pay back the money your father owes us?"
The leader, He Qiang, said, raising his palm to slap Lin Ling.
Song Qiao shook his head helplessly, strode forward, and grabbed the man's wrist.
He said in a cold tone, "Aren't you ashamed, a few grown men beating a weak woman?"
He Qiang tried to struggle, but Song Qiao increased the force on his hand.
The intense pain made his face contort, and he roared at Song Qiao, "Who the hell are you, barging in here? Do you know who I am? I'm He Qiang."
Song Qiao sneered and said indifferently, "He Qiang? Sorry, I haven't heard of you."
As he spoke, he pulled He Qiang away from Lin Ling and forcefully pushed him to the ground.
"You, you better wait for me. If you have the guts, don't leave."
He Qiang said this, about to have his brothers surround them.
Song Qiao, helpless, took out his phone and called Brother Chun.
Brother Chun, who was about to take two young ladies to a hotel, suddenly received Song Qiao's call.
"Little brother Song, what's the matter?"
"Brother Chun, I've run into some trouble at the entrance of Zi Yue," Song Qiao said directly.
"What?"
"Who dares to touch my brother?"
Brother Chun roared, losing interest in the women beside him.
Although he was a local boss, and Guo Jun treated him with respect, his influence in many areas actually depended on Guo Jun's support.
Now, a friend introduced by Guo Jun had encountered trouble on his turf.
This was practically slapping him in the face.
He hastily agreed to Song Qiao and rushed back to the scene as quickly as possible.
Seeing Song Qiao making a phone call to get help, He Qiang sneered dismissively, as if he didn't take such actions seriously.
He also took out his phone and called over a dozen of his hangers-on.
"Kid, let's see who you can call. If you regret it now, kowtow three times to me, call me Grandpa, and get lost."
Looking at the brothers behind him, He Qiang threatened with a smug look.